


i saved a piece for you

by Gone_by_dawn



Series: 100 ways to say... criminal minds [9]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 100 Ways to Say I Love You Writing Challenge, Fluff, Happy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-04-05 16:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19044376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gone_by_dawn/pseuds/Gone_by_dawn
Summary: “Mmm, I knew it. You’re not propositioning me, are you Agent Morgan?”Derek barked out a surprised laugh. “Who are you and what have you done to Spencer Reid? But yes, actually, I am. I believe I was promised a dinner? You know, like as a date? Ring any bells, beautiful?”~~~Derek and Spencer go on a date! For real this time, strings attached and everything.





	i saved a piece for you

Spencer had barely stepped into his apartment before he was dialing Morgan’s number. It rang once before the call was picked up.

”Derek,” he said, at the same time Derek said “Spencer.” The two were silent a moment, enjoying this part. Spencer smiled down at his floor. He imagined Derek doing the same, but it was just a fantasy. The other man was probably sitting on his couch, or petting his dog, or likewise being a more functional human than Spencer in this moment, warm gaze still concentrated on his mismatched socks against the hardwood. He cleared his throat. He didn’t have anything to say.

”…How was your day?” Derek asked, after a moment of hesitation. Despite himself, Spencer’s snorted into the receiver.

”Sorry,” he said quickly, still laughing a little bit. He shook his head, though no one could see. “Sorry. God, at least you’re trying. I mean, I literally couldn’t think of one thing to say to you except ‘hi’ and I already said that. Well no, technically I don’t think I did. Hi. Actually, did you know that the only reason people say hello when they answer the phone is—“

”Wait, isn’t it because Edison or something? I actually know this one.”

Spencer smiled, again only to himself and his floor. Derek had cut him off, but he barely even noticed. It was the only way to get a word in, sometimes. “Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Did you know originally you were supposed to answer the phone with ‘ahoy’?”

Derek considered this for a minute. “Ahoy,” he said.

”Ahoy,” Spencer laughed.

They spent the next ten minutes talking about work, the next fifteen after that about what to get Emily for her birthday (that she hadn’t told anyone about), and the next thirty after that about absolutely nothing at all. It was nice.

“Okay, Doc, you know I’m loving this small talk and everything, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Mmm, I knew it. You’re not propositioning me, are you Agent Morgan?”

Derek barked out a surprised laugh. “Who are you and what have you done to Spencer Reid? But yes, actually, I am. I believe I was promised a dinner? You know, like as a date? Ring any bells, beautiful?”

His warmed cheeks meant nothing. “I think I remember something like that.”

“Good,” Derek said, and he sounded like he meant it. Spencer wasn’t sure how this was actually happening. He’d been sure that he was imagining whatever had been brewing between them, with Derek’s offers to walk him home or take care of him when he wasn’t feeling well. He’d spent so long projecting it, that he’d completely missed the point where it had become real. When had that happened? Why? “When are you-”

“Now,” he said, before he could stop himself. Morgan had caught him off guard by asking him if he wanted this relationship, but Spencer had decided that he had, and now there was no stopping him. He didn’t know how long he would be allowed this. “Sorry, but I meant I’m free now, if you don’t have any plans.”

A beat. Spencer held his breath.

“Yeah?” Derek asked, and Spencer could picture him on the other side of the phone, smiling and rubbing the back of his head, palm scratching at short hair. He didn’t need an eidetic memory for this. Spencer had known him long enough to be able to see that picture-perfect, thousand watt grin that would stretch from ear to ear, white teeth blinding. “Well, consider my schedule cleared. When can I pick you up?”

~~~

By the time Derek and Spencer pulled up to the restaurant, evening traffic had just begun to pile up. They’d missed the worst of it, in part due to Spencer’s knowing navigation. Derek had poked him in the ribs for that, right in the spot where he was most ticklish, causing the younger man to jump. Derek was lucky he was busy parking into a spot, otherwise Spencer might’ve poked him right back, and Derek wasn’t as clever as he thought he was if he believed that no one knew he was ticklish himself.

“You don’t even drive, how do you how to beat rush hour?” He whined, much to Spence’s amusement.

“Traffic is a federal report, Derek. You work for the Federal Bureau of Investigations-”

“Oh, cut the shit. You looked it up for a reason.” He killed the engine.

Spencer, looking half-pleased to be called out on his bullshit, shrugged, amused. “A magician never tells.”

“You’re a menace.”

“I’m entirely benevolent.”

“And a damn liar.”

The two smiled. This… didn’t feel like dating, Spencer realized. This was the same conversation they could’ve had before, when they were just friends. They still kind of were just friends, except now Spencer could do… this. He leaned over and tugged on Derek’s sleeve, just at the elbow. Derek, who had already been looking at him, now glanced down to his hand on his shirt. He didn’t say anything, just fixed him with a questioning stare. Spencer tried not to feel shy but his heart skipped a beat anyway.

“Can I?” He asked, and he immediately regretted how _small_ he sounded as he said the words. Derek was still staring. Slowly, he brought a hand up to cup Reid’s jaw.

Spencer was the one to initiate the kiss this time, lips moving softly against warm, fuller ones. He had to lean over the console to properly do so, and he undid his seatbelt without breaking from the kiss. Derek’s is off too and, for just a second–-an enticing second, mind–-Spencer considered climbing the rest of the way into his lap to properly deepen things. The idea is banished almost as soon as it appeared. With much reluctance, he detached himself from the other man. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, blushing as Derek’s eyes followed the movement.

“So, dinner?”

Derek nodded, eyes still trained on Reid's lips. “Sounds good.”

They step out of the car.

The restaurant is nice. Derek ordered a white wine which Spencer graciously accepts, though he usually prefers not to drink. They eat and drink and talk in an easy, comfortable sort of way that feels familiar and new to them both at the same time. It’s not as awkward as their first dinner date was, and that hadn’t honestly been too awkward either. Though, to be fair, Spencer hadn’t known it was meant to be a date that time so there was no reason to be nervous. He knew now though. They both did, and it felt… good. It felt nice. Spencer reached across the table and played with the tips of Derek’s fingers simply because this was allowed. He could get used to it. He wants to.

The conversation lulls for a moment between them and they let it, slowly dissolving into content silence. Derek stares at him again, he knows, but he isn’t sure exactly what he’s supposed to do. He hasn’t been stared at like this before. He continues to play with his fingertips, eventually just taking the darker hand in his own. They settle into this peace for a few quiet minutes.

Spencer cracks first.

“You meant it, right?” He blurts, suddenly. Derek looks neither surprised nor like he follows, which, fair.

“Meant what?” He asks patiently. His hand squeezes his in reassurance.

Spencer shrugs, but only to buy time. He knows what he wants to say but the words seem too hard to speak. “That you want to date me," he manages carefully. "Like really date me. Do this again, and everything.”

Derek, for his part, doesn’t pretend like this is a silly question, but he doesn’t immediately answer, either, and, _oh_ , there goes Spencer’s heart. He almost starts to retract his hand, but Derek holds firm.

"Give me a sec, kid, gotta think of how to say this. Not everyone has that super brain of yours."

They both inwardly winced at the nickname. Spencer had made it crystal clear that he didn't want to be thought of as a kid, even if he really _was one_ compared to Derek, and Derek hated reminding himself about the age gap because it made him feel... dirty. He was in _no_ way like Carl Buford and he knew that, but every time he thought about how he was eight whole years older than Spencer, how Spencer was so fucking young, it made his blood run cold. Eight years. A 12 year-old and 20 year-old were eight years apart. He didn't let that thought go any further.

"Right."

It's quiet again, but this time the silence is charged. Spencer is hyperaware of himself, can feel every breath, every fraction of a movement made and then aborted. It feels as if all his nerve endings have been frayed and exposed as he sits to overthink by himself, Derek seeming a million miles away while he chooses his next words carefully. Finally he gives Spencer's hand another squeeze and they meet each others' eyes again.

"Listen, Reid," Spencer's heart hurts at that. He's Reid at the office, he's Reid when they're being professional; _Hotch_ calls him Reid. He starts to wilt. "Hey, cmon don't give me that look. Pretty Boy..." A hooked finger reaches out to lift Spencer's chin up. "There we go. As I was saying. I've known you for a long time, and this is kinda new, you know? I'm not sure if it's a good idea, dating a co-worker, and I'm not going to pretend like I'm perfect. We both have a... a lot of baggage and our job is, well. It's our job. This probably won't be easy. It's probably going to be really hard for a lot of reasons, actually, work-related or not. But I--shit, Reid, I really like you. And I want to do this again, assuming we can even get through this date, Christ. So no, this wasn't just a one-time thing, but it's still something we should probably slow down and think about, too. Is that okay?"

He feels awful. "I'm sorry, Derek, I didn't mean to pressure you into committing to anything, I'm sorry this has been-"

Derek sighs. "Drink your wine, Spencer," he interrupts, sitting back in his seat. Spencer rambles, too much for his own good sometimes, and that's alright. It's cute, even, but it doesn't mean he has to entertain it right now. Overthinking never helped a date go smoother. Spencer does as he's told and the mood shifts into something lighter, something easier to breathe in. 

It feels like forever before he can make a joke again, but damned if he doesn't try. "'Did I really mean it'," he quotes, mocking.  "Jeez, Einstein. I've only been flirting with you for a couple of years now," Derek says, after a long moment has already gone by.

Spencer cracks a smile. "Yeah? That's what you've been doing?"

"Hell, I've been _trying_. You're not an easy man to flirt with, you know. I call you pretty and you spend the next five minutes spewing out facts about beauty standards around the world and how they've changed in the last twenty years-"

"I did that _once_!" 

They both break off into laughter.

The rest of the dinner is more of that moment. It's filled with stolen glances over bites of food, fond memories, and hearty laughter. It's easy, dating your (second) best friend. They have lots of years worth of talking material, not to mention the countless stories they share from work. After a while the conversation feels natural, and why shouldn't it? They've done this already, _been_ doing it for a while now. With more people present, sure, but it's hardly big a difference. And it's not like the two haven't been alone together before. It's happened... probably more than can be attributed to coincidences, not that either of them particularly believe in those anyway.

It takes them maybe an hour before they run out of excuses to occupy their table at the restaurant, so they leave. Derek insists on paying but Spencer refuses to budge, seeing as _he's_ the one who actually asked him out. Derek only accepts this with the promise that he can pay next time, and he can't argue with that because he's too busy beaming at the idea of getting another date. He was sure he'd ruined his chances earlier (despite Derek's reassurances otherwise), but this sparked a feeling of hope in his chest.

They rode back to Morgan's house. It didn't make sense, logically, because Derek was the one with a car and it's not like Spencer could just walk back to his apartment afterwards, but they did anyways, agreeing that they would hang out for a bit and then he would drive Spencer home. And, well, who was Spencer to refuse spending more time with Derek? They went to his place.

He had to admit it was a nice house. Derek did renovations on other homes, he knew, so of course it would follow that he'd touched up his own. It wasn't as grand as Rossi's (self-procalimed, though not inaccurate) mansion, but it wasn't far off, either. He wasn't sure why the team wasn't here more often, especially considering how Derek had bullied Rossi into holding Team Nights when his own house was nearly the same size. They could've been doing this for a lot longer.

"You've been holding out on us," Spencer noted, walking through the door Derek held open and into the front room. His date lead him through halls to a kitchen that opened up to a spacious living room. Spencer took a seat at the counter while Derek moved to get the two a drink.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Spencer was good at a few well-placed snarky comments, but he couldn't go back and forth like Derek was used to with Garcia so he pivoted the conversation. "I can't believe I've never been to your house before. It seems kinda weird, right?"

There was a momentary lapse in conversation as Derek rummaged around in the kitchen. "I don't know," he said, almost to himself. "Seems like it would've just happened at some point."

"You really should-- _hey!"_

A streak of golden fur dashed towards Spencer, moving seamlessly between his legs to jump and paw at his torso. Derek watched the scene play out indulgently. "Clooney," he said, after letting him bother Spencer longer than he probably should've. The dog dropped back on all fours with a whine.

"Clooney," Spencer tried, slowly, like saying the name might provoke another attack. He tilted his head sideways to study the dog. The dog tilted his head right back at him. They looked at each other like this for a moment and, when Spencer was satisfied that Clooney wasn't going to try and further prove the Reid Effect by biting his fingers off, he reached down and scratched him behind the ears. Both parties liked this.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were just here for my dog," Derek teased, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of Spencer. He raised his eyebrows at this, to which Derek just shrugged. "Figured you were wine-d out," he offered, as if he needed an explanation.

"But you're not?" 

"I'm not drinking wine, am I?"

"Jack Daniel's isn't exactly a step up." He jested without malice, instead grinning to himself, content, and sipping his own drink. The coffee was good--he'd made it with way too much sugar, exactly how Spencer liked it. "Thank you," he said warmly.

Derek smiled at him over his glass. "I thought you might be craving something sweet."

"Oh my god, yes," he moaned, exaggeratedly. He let his head fall back, which Derek did _not_  watch ardently, before taking a bigger-than-necessary gulp of coffee. "I almost asked you to stop for ice cream, but I didn't want to sound like a child."

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well since you're such an _addict_ ," he teased, "you're lucky I know you so well. Got something sweet right here, and **I saved a piece for you**."

"Really?" So help him, Spencer's eyes, honest to Christ, lit up. "Can I have some?"

Derek smirked. "Absolutely," he said, and leaned in softly. His lips pressed against warmer ones tenderly, kissing him slow and thorough. Spencer smiled into it, moving in kind, and Derek couldn't honestly resist pulling on his hair gently and tilting his head back. He slipped his tongue in, just because he was feeling cheeky, and Spencer hummed his approval. The two went like this for a minute, kissing languidly but _earnest,_ like this was the easiest thing in the world but also precious in that they hadn't really been able to _do_  this before, and that made them a little bit desperate. It was a sigh of relief, it was a gasp for air. They were floating, drowning, who the fuck cared? They were here together and that was enough.

"I can hear you thinking," Spencer whispered. Derek could feel the words on his own lips, as if he had been the one to say them. It was intoxicating knowing that him and Spencer were breathing in the same breath right now. Spencer's voice was a low rumble, barely even spoken. "Seriously, Derek, it's o _kay_."

Yeah. It was okay.

He pulled away from Spencer--who seemed to feel no such obligation to move--his thumb wiping at his bottom lip subconsciously. He had to clear his throat just to make sure that it would still work. The way Spencer was looking at him now, chin tilted up, eyes half-llidded, lips puffed and bruised and _smiling_ , it was a very real possibility that he'd choke on whatever he tried to say. "I, um," Fuck. His voice was hoarse. "I also have dessert in the fridge," he said, weakly.

Spencer laughed, surprise parting his lips. His stared open-mouthed as his shoulders shook, eyes filled with wonder and something so fond it threatened to make Derek collapse on the spot, and beamed. Spencer  _beamed,_  at _him_ , and that was what finally did him in. "Perfect," he said. He didn't say  _Thank you,_ and _You're a dork_ , and _I love you,_ but it was there.

"Anything for you," he said back, and he meant it maybe a little more than he wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

> I am sooooo sorry this took forever! Finals week was actually more of finals _month_ and I haven't been able to breathe since March. Anyways updates should be much faster now that school let out, but also factor in the fact that I get seriously depressed in the summer so idk. Hope you enjoy! Comment!!


End file.
